Norbury Farm

(Brian Lancaster's article on landed estates in Croydon in the last Bulletin elicited some correspondence about another model farm from John W. Brown and, with his permission, there follows an edited version of his letters.)

Norbury Farm impressed James Malcolm, the land surveyor to the Prince of Wales and to the Dukes of York and Clarence, when he visited the farm exactly two centuries ago as one of the best farms he had ever seen. It was the northernmost agricultural holding in the parish and hence the one closest to London. Despite its relatively small size, in this holding at least, Croydon parish could boast one of the finest agricultural undertakings in Surrey.

In its heyday Norbury Farm was one of the largest in the area. In 1805 Malcolm visited it and wrote about it in glowing terms. He described the operation of the farm as being in "…the greatest order under the best system, with the greatest despatch, of any place with which I am acquainted".

At the time of Malcolm's visit Norbury Farm was obviously an establishment to be admired. However, unless funds were continually employed to keep the buildings in good repair and replace the machinery with modern appliances as they came on the market such a position would soon diminish.

By the mid-nineteenth century the farm comprised around 200 acres at which time the old farm house was occupied by Francis Tummons, a Yorkshireman, who cultivated 650 acres in the northern part of Croydon parish, presumably being a subcontractor for other farms in the area. In the 1851 census he describes himself as a 'Farmer 650 Acres employing 21 labourers & 13 women labourers'. Many came from Ireland. One of his most important workers was the blacksmith, William Dowsett. He was responsible for looking after the twenty-two horses that did much of the heavy farm work by pulling the ploughs and carts that were central to a successful Victorian agricultural enterprise.

Adjacent to the farm house was a large yard which contained a collection of farm buildings. The largest housed the blacksmith's forge and provided stabling for the horses, with a granary and hay loft above, together with two large lodges for the farm carts and three cattle sheds. The second building accommodated the cow house and calf pens, a cattle shed and a large barn with three threshing floors. Not unnaturally, farthest away from the house were the piggeries.

The farm house was a large building as befitted its past use as a manor house. The entrance passage led to two sitting rooms, a kitchen, pantry and store room, and six bedrooms on the upper floor. At the rear of the building were a wash and brew house and a dairy. Beneath the house were large wine and beer cellars.

Close by the building was a small flower and vegetable garden. Between the house and the high road were a number of large ponds and a moated area with a central island on which it is likely that the original medieval manor house may have stood.

The ancient dwelling was demolished in 1914 to make way for the transformation of the area from open countryside into a southern suburb of London. A small plot of open ground at the junction of Kensington and Norbury Avenues is all that remains of the historic farmland.

John W Brown

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Last updated September 19^th 2005
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